There is so much more to life than work.

  It snowed this past week. It usually snows here a few times a year but it never stays around long. This time has been different. It started snowing and just didn't stop. There is at present, a foot on the ground and it is still coming down. As I mentioned the other day, with the cold weather comes the long hours at work. Last night I worked 12 hours of grave yard. I was exhausted when I got home this morning. As I relaxed in my recliner after my morning shower I watched the snow falling and it occurred to me that this may be the only weekend this year that I would get to play with my family in the snow. To make a long story short, I called in sick before going to bed for a few hours of much needed sleep. I woke up at 3:30 to six inches of fresh powder on top of the 6 inches of packed snow from the two previous days. It is 11:30 at night and we just came indoors an hour ago. We made a snowman, threw snowballs, rode the snowmobiles,sledded and went for a long evening walk through the white stuff. It was a good day.
   I know we need to work. It is what gives us the life we enjoy but it is not the most important thing we do. I could have made a bunch of money today but it is only money. Money usually goes away faster than the snow but the memories we made today will last a lifetime.
   I wish I had learned this lesson at a much younger age. I wish I had learned it when my adult children were still kids. In many ways they got ripped off. Our daughter, Michaela, is the sole benefactor of my new priority list. We do things with my other kids and my grand children but Michaela lives it everyday. I wonder if she realizes how lucky she is. She is a good kid.
  As Mandy and I walked through the silent night, I was awestruck by the stillness around me. It was as if the entire world had simply decided to stand still. There were no cars, no people, and no tire tracks on the road. The fresh snow sparked in the soft light of nearby houses illuminating the path before us.We walked side by side at times holding hands simply enjoying the moment. Our moment. I could have missed it. I could have put on my boots, packed a lunch, and went to work. I could have missed laying in the snow in the middle of the road with the love of my life. I could have missed throwing snowballs at my father in law and his girlfriends home and heckling them for being too old to come outside and play. I could have missed the laughter and the smiles but I didn't. Not this time!
   How many moments do we really have in this life? Are we so blessed that we can afford to throw them away for something as pathetic as a dollar? To be fair it was actually several hundred dollars but that just makes my point even stronger. It's only money! It has no value!
  I will still work overtime. I like having a full toy box far too much to give it all up but there really is so much more to this life than what we do for a living. It sucks that so many people never get that. It sucks that it took getting cancer for me to get that. I guess it is simply one more blessing given to me by this disease. Yes I said blessing. The true fact of the matter is that cancer has given far more in the way of blessings than it ever took away. Life is perspective. Think about that one for a while :-) Until next time, Todd